Atlanta United has surpassed 22,000 season ticket sales for its inaugural 2017 season, club president Darren Eales said Friday. The total, which can grow because there is still six more months before the team plays its first game, is believed to be the most season tickets sold by an expansion club in MLS history.
“There’s been a real sense of Atlanta United being the club of the city,” Eales said.
The total reportedly surpasses the undisclosed season-ticket packages sold by Seattle in its 2009 expansion year, when it averaged 30,897 per game. The New York Times reported that the Sounders sold 22,000 season-ticket packages in 2009. A Seattle spokesman declined to verify that total. Atlanta United’s total is based exclusively on full season-ticket pages and doesn’t include suite sales.
The total also places Atlanta United second only to the Sounders in season-ticket sales for any MLS club, according to Eales.
By comparison, the Hawks averaged 16,832 in general attendance at Philips Arena during the 2016 season. The Braves are averaging 22,904 in general attendance this season at Turner Field.
Atlanta United season tickets are available for purchase only by the approximately 11,000 members of the team’s Founders’ Club, which is still accepting members. Eales said that members who have bought season tickets have averaged 2.6 tickets. Before the sales conversion process started earlier this year, owner Arthur Blank and Eales said that more than 30,000 tickets had been pledged to be purchased.
Ticket prices range from $25-$225 per game. The most expensive seats are in the SunTrust Club at midfield and are $4,050 to see 18 home games. The least expensive tickets are $360. There are eight levels of pricing.
Eales said that eight of the 10 lower club levels have sold out and that more than 3,000 tickets have been purchased in the supporters section behind one of the goals. There are approximately 5,500 seats in the supporters section. Eales said they are going to expand the general admission seating.
“That will be the engine room of the stadium,” Eales said. “It speaks volumes for the level of support of soccer in the city.”
Eales said the club has surpassed the sales benchmarks it had set, and the team has reached a point of seeing how far it can go.
“This is new territory for an MLS club,” he said.
Eales said the sales total is remarkable because some of the aspects that drive purchases haven’t been finalized: The team still hasn’t a hired a coach, the jersey (kit) hasn’t been revealed and the schedule is unknown. The team will play on the road until June, which is when Mercedes-Benz Stadium is scheduled to open.
“For us, it’s a case of keep doing what we are doing,” Eales said. “We are a brand new club, and our Founder’s Club members are all in this together.”
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